Gods Above Simarka
by OR7A
Summary: Adventures of SG-14: The team's mission to a pre-industrial world turns up a very old, and very dead Goa'uld.
1. Arrival

"Nervous?" asked Lieutenant Colonel Naylor, throwing a rare smile in Sergeant Howard's direction. Allison, as the Sergeant was to her friends, had been only with the SGC for a few short months and she was about embark on her first off world mission. She'd been briefed on the members of the team she was joining, and given a special warning about the Colonel Naylor's second-in-command, Captain Chris Blake, who had mourned the loss of Corporeal Johnson very badly and, was embittered towards Allison as she had replaced the Corporeal.  
  
"Yes," she admitted realising her nervous habit of continuously checking her gun had obviously showed up. The Colonel kept his gaze on her, it made her feel uncomfortable and offered him a quick smile before turning back to her locker. She had right to be nervous, they were about to visit Simarka, a world where according to the reports written by SG-1 the natives didn't take too kindly to womenfolk... even though the reports stated one tribe had thrown out their oppressive laws on women it didn't go all the way to convincing Allison she was to be totally safe.  
  
The locker room had been emptied for SG-14 to kit up. Captain Blake and Lieutenant Donnelly had already finished adorning their gear and were awaiting Allison and the Colonel, who was infamous for taking his time kitting up, in the gate room. Allison's locker was located on the far side from the door, but she'd brought it's contents to a bench nearer the Colonel's locker to add the items to her bag. She was the team's "science-guy", following SG-1 example all SG teams tried to be assigned one "geek", SG-14 was no exception.  
  
"Coming?" Allison asked turning to face the Colonel as she stood at the now open door.  
  
"I'll meet you in the gate room," said the Colonel not looking up as he stuffed his trademark cigar into his pack. He didn't look up until he heard the door close behind Sergeant Howard before he zipped up his bag. He stood up and turned to his locker... he stood motionless for a moment, the picture of his war-buddies that occupied the rear of the top shelf in his locker, holding his gaze. He outstretched his hand towards the picture, he wanted to hold it and remember... instead he slammed the locker door shut.  
  
It's in the past, he told himself.  
  
"Ladies first," said Donnelly smiling, happy to once again have an available female on the team.   
  
The gate was open when Naylor finally arrived in the embarkation room, most would get a few strong words from General Hammond for his timekeeping, Naylor was an exception... "Fashionably late" he once called it.  
  
Allison smiled at Donnelly, she appreciated how friendly he'd been in dealing with Blake's attitude towards her when the team had first met three days before. She took a few paces forward but found herself stopping at the mouth of the gate. She was hypnotized by the wormhole's watery glow.   
  
"We haven't got all day," said the Colonel beginning to ascend the ramp. Blake had gone through the instant the wormhole had been established to P3X-593 and now Sergeant Howard held the proceedings up.  
  
"Sorry," she said turning her head as far to the side as possible, making it obvious she was responding to the Colonel. It was her first gate trip... she wanted to saviour it, because no matter how many times one would go through this vehicle of the ancients the first time would always be the most exciting.  
  
She took a moment to take in the aroma... not just the smelless wormhole but the overall atmosphere of the gate room, it had seen so many historic things, and so many adventures had begun on the very spot where she stood.   
  
She took another step forward and was gone...  
  
"Was there a problem on the other side?" Blake said almost emotionlessly, Allison could tell he disliked conversation with her. She'd just come bounding from the Stargate's entrance, almost tripping on the steps that lead down from the small rocky platform on which the stargate stood, and already Blake was in her face.  
  
"I just wanted to enjoy my first gate journey," she said in total honesty as she picked up a few things that had flown from her pockets upon her clumsy arrival.  
  
"Huh," said Blake dismissively, almost as if he didn't believe her.  
  
With all the things returned to her pockets Allison turned her attention to the stargate, where the Colonel and Lieutenant Donnelly had just taken a leisurely step out of. How do they do that? Allison wondered, considering her rather ungraceful exit from the wormhole.  
  
"Look," said Naylor in his usual playful way, "The aliens here look like Blake and Howard." His joking had been a constant source of amusement for Allison since her assignment to SG-14, that and Donnelly's kind words had helped her up to this point in dealing with Blake's attitude.  
  
She gave off a small laugh, she didn't want to express the full extent of her amusement as she had no idea where the Colonel's boundaries on relaxation during a mission were. Naylor greeted her small laugh with a smile.   
  
"Okay people," he said breaking eye contact with Allison and coming down from the Stargate's platform, making him only the seventh Tau'ri to step foot on the planet the computer had designated P3X-593, after the four members of SG-1, Blake and Allison. "The report..." started Naylor keeping his finger very near his gun's trigger, and referring to SG-1's mission report that Colonel O'Neill had written upon their return from this planet after their encounter with a Mongol like tribe calling themselves the Shavadai. "... says there's some sort of village not more than a few clicks from here." He stopped to take a moment to look into the dingy blue sky, offset only by the orangey glow of a sun descending below the horizon, "It'll be dark soon. So it'll be better if we reach this settlement before dark. I sure as heck don't wanna stay out in this cold."  
  
Whilst Donnelly and Allison nodded in agreement, Blake simply turned away and pointing in the direction of a grouping of mature trees a few meters away, "The report says it's that way," he said blankly.  
  
"Yes," Naylor agreed coming up to her Blake stood. "Let's move out," the Colonel said giving Blake an encouraging tap on the shoulder.  
  
"It's no use," said Naylor taking a seat on the end of a, long time, fallen tree trunk. "What?" Allison said just as the Colonel came into her visual range, which was very limited by the failing light.   
  
"I can't see anything," came Donnelly's voice, which sounded alarmingly distant.   
  
"He took the word right out of my mouth," Naylor said setting his gun down on the trunk beside him, allowing his now free hands to brush some of the leaves and small branches he'd collected pushing his way through a particularly dense area of the forest a few minutes ago.  
  
"Jason?" called out Allison worried by how far away Lieutenant Donnelly had sounded the last time he'd spoken.  
  
"Where are you?" his voice replied now sounding much closer.  
  
"Here with the Colonel," she said looking left and right... straining her eyes in a vain attempt to force herself to she through the shroud of darkness. "Where are you?" she added.  
  
"Here," said Donnelly. Allison could tell he was standing directly behind her, "Where had you gone to?" she asking shifting the focus away from the fact she'd been worried about Donnelly.   
  
"I was trying to keep up with Blake, he's gone on ahead sir," Donnelly said stepping past Allison to address the Colonel, who'd finished cleaning his uniform and now stood with his weapon in front of the tree trunk.   
  
"Very well, we should head out too. I don't want us getting to separated in this limited visibility," Naylor said starting off walking at a brisk pace in the direction they'd all been travelling in, and hoped Blake would still be. 


	2. The people of the River

"Captain?!" called out Naylor. Ten minutes had gone by since the Colonel, Donnelly or Allison had made visual or vocal contact with him, and had found the radios inoperable... which the Colonel had blamed on the denseness of the forest.  
  
"Blake?!" Donnelly yelled after allowing a moment for Blake to reply to the Colonel's call.   
  
To Allison it seemed as though they'd been bumbling through the forest for hours, in the past few minutes before the Colonel had begun to be alarmed by Blake's continued missing state they'd all acknowledged the growing smell of smoke. At first it had just been a slight smell, but it had developed to such an extent that Allison had choked for a brief moment and that the smoke was visible... even in the blackness.  
  
"God damn," said the Colonel waving his arms out vigorously in front of him to try and clear some of the smoke. "We were meant to be on a nice easy mission, just say 'hi' and get the drugs," he said. "But no..." he continued sarcastically, "It has to get dark!"  
  
"Sir," came Blake's voice, it was muffled somewhat by Donnelly's coughing.   
  
"Blake!" cried out Naylor rather shocked to discover his officer once again, as he'd given up hope of finding him alive after such a long absence.  
  
"Yes sir," Blake said again now stood in front of the group brandishing a large wooden object, the end was on fire which illuminated the small area around it. Naylor, Donnelly and Allison all headed towards the light and within a few minutes had gathered around Blake.  
  
"There's a settlement a few dozen feet that way," Blake said turning his torso slightly and pointing in the direction he'd appeared from. "Good work," Naylor said, he didn't want to harp on the fact his number two had disappeared without permission... Naylor knew Blake was under a lot of stress already and had a lot of things on his mind... so he didn't want to add anymore to Blake's heap.  
  
"Have you made contact?" Donnelly asked rubbing his eyes, he was most obviously still in discomfort from the smoke which he now conjectured to be emanating from the settlement Blake had found.  
  
"No," Blake said simply. "The settlement was deserted... though I found this," he said shaking the fire stick he held.   
  
"Odd," said Naylor unsure what to really make of the situation. "Anyway," the Colonel continued not wanting to linger in the forest for any longer, "Let's get to this settlement and await the morning." Blake turned around, he knew he'd have to lead the team.   
  
"Yeah," Naylor said pushing the thick fabric flap on the tent open, "It's definitely deserted."   
  
The Colonel turned back around to face inwards towards the large fire which Blake and Donnelly had made in what appeared to be the centre of the settlement. Allison had gone into several of the tents in search of clues as to what actually happened, and why the people who would use this settlement normally were gone. She now stood, still clueless, near the fire watching Blake and Donnelly.  
  
The settlement, if you can call it that, really more of a camp, was in a small clearing in the otherwise dense forest. It comprised of eight tents, all of which were much like those described in SG-1's mission report following their original visit to this world. The tents were set out so that there was a large central area, either for social gathering, or as Blake and Donnelly were using it... to assemble a light and warm giving fire.  
  
"Have you checked all the tents?" asked Naylor with a lack of anything better to say, order, or ask.   
  
Allison took a moment to reply, she was counted the number of tents she'd looked inside of in her mind. "Yes sir," he finally said.   
  
"Well," said Naylor. "Looks like we got ourselves a decent enough fire going. We'll wait here for the night. And head out in the morning if nobody has returned."  
  
As nobody said anything the Colonel assumed everyone agreed and he unhooked the backpack he'd become tired of carrying. He set it down a safe distance from the fire and headed back into the tent he'd just looked inside of. "We'll need some blankets," he said after he'd emerged carrying several rather thick looking lump of what was obviously animal fur. "Great," said Allison who was a convinced vegetarian and animal lover, "I get to snuggle up with dead animal bodies," she said discussed with the thought.  
  
"You could always snuggle up with me instead," Donnelly commented, a cheeky grin creeping across his face as Allison gave him a playful angry expression.   
  
"Do you think they are the gods? Returned to choose more?" Rindan asked, his face covered in a nervous sweat he'd worn every time he'd seen the gods come through the stone ring.   
  
"They must be," his father, Edwar, said. "Who else knows how to use the stone ring?"  
  
Edwar was the leader of the people of the land, the Eunani. One of the few peoples who hadn't been "chosen" or fled for the Walat mountain plateaus. He and his people had fled their settlement to seek refuge from the gods in the forests. They had always had a guard nearly the stone ring... and upon it's activation that guard would rush to their settlement and warn them of the god's approach.   
  
"But they do not look like the gods father," Rindan said... Rindan was young and had always had a healthy thirst for exploration and the gathering of knowledge. But his curiosity had almost gotten him killed numerous times, and now in the time of the gods he was especially reliant on his aging father's wisdom.  
  
"We can't stay in the forests all night father, the Sharman says there will be a frost tonight," Rindan trying to impress his belief that the new travellers were indeed not gods.  
  
"And if they are the gods?" Edwar said his usual pessimism dominating his view, as always.  
  
"If they are then they will simply kill us quicker than if we stay away from our camp and die of cold," Rindan said with an uncharacteristic show of logic and level thinking.  
  
Edwar sighed, again he had been outmatched by his son. "Very well Rindan, may our lives be safe in your judgment." Edwar wanted to have trust in his son's judgement, but past experiences had taught him not to. Though on this occasion Rindan had used a fair mind and had proposed an idea Edwar had not. Rindan and his father had been observing SG-14 since their arrival in the forest. They were now in a position to easily observe all of them as the team made use of the things they found in the Eunani's camp. Edwar took the final decision to follow his son's words and rose from where he had been concealed whilst crouching. He strode confidently towards the settlement. 


	3. Fire and Friendship

"Colonel!" yelled Donnelly, who had been assigned the first watch whilst the rest attempted to get some sleep. Naylor and the others awoke quickly, "What is it?" the Colonel asked, as always annoyed at the disturbance of his sleep. The Colonel didn't need Donnelly to answer his question as after Naylor had given his eye a quick rub he saw the large tall figure of Edwar coming down a small slope and entering the borders of the settlement.   
  
Donnelly was already brandishing his weapon, "Halt right there," the Lieutenant said taking his gun off safety and pointing it at the approaching Edwar.   
  
"Hold your fire," Naylor said struggling free from the heavy blankets, he'd smothered himself in, and going for his own weapon.  
  
"I am Chieftain Edwar of the Eunani," Edwar said opening his arms in a universe friendship motion.  
  
"Of the who?" Allison said, who'd only just made it too her feet and had failed to recover her weapon from where she'd left it.  
  
"The people of the river," Edwar offering a wide smile. He wanted to make sure SG-14 would realise his motives were that of a peaceful nature.   
  
"Great," said Naylor lowering his weapon. Donnelly and Blake quickly followed suit. "So," said Naylor approaching Edwar, who had now stopped close to the fire. "Is this your encampment?" Naylor asked.  
  
"Indeed it is," Edwar confirmed outstretching his hands and warming them on the fire. "You have indeed made an impressive fire," he commented.  
  
"Err," Naylor trailed off unsure really of how to react to that particular compliment. "Thanks," he finally settled on. "Listen," he said wanting to get to the point, "Why did you leave this camp? We found it deserted."  
  
"We feared you were the gods returning to choose once more," Edwar said taking a step back from the fire and moving slowing towards the Colonel as he spoke.   
  
"Gods?" Allison suddenly cried. Naylor gave her a rather dirty look and she quietened down. "What I think Sergeant Howard wanted to say was, we thought your people hadn't been visited by the... gods, for many years?" Naylor said recalling facts from the ever useless SG-1 reports.  
  
"That was true," Edwar said coming to a halt a comfortably safe distance from the Colonel. "For many generations we were not visited by the gods. However a few moons ago they returned to us," Edwar began, ".. they took many of the Shavadai and destroyed the Jaminakai."  
  
"The who?" Naylor asked. "The people of the Steppe and the people of the forest," Edwar stated answering the Colonel's question before ceasing to speak.  
  
"Erm," said Allison coming forward, "What do you mean 'took'?" she enquired picking up on a topic Edwar had mentioned and the Colonel had missed. "When the gods come through the stone ring they take many of our youngest and most fit men and women and then return through the ring. And they have killed all those who have attempted to stop them." Edwar drew in breath and approached the Colonel once again.  
  
"We believed you were the gods returning as we thought on the gods could use the stone ring, but as you do not look like the gods I decided to speak with you."  
  
"Well you're right on one thing my friend," Naylor said, "We aren't gods."  
  
Edwar took this pause in the Colonel's questions to gesture to Rindan, who remained concealed. "Come my son, these people are not the gods," Edwar said. Rindan came cautiously from the rock he'd been hidden from view behind. "Are you sure father?" he said, now going back on what he'd stated as fact earlier, a typical move for Rindan.  
  
"I am," Edwar said smiling. "That's right," Naylor agreed smiling warmly as the young boy approached. Rindan stood a little shorter than the hulk of a man which was Edwar, he was a large figure none the less... clearing the Colonel by a clear 4 inches.  
  
"Anyway, where are my manners?" Naylor said, "Greetings from the people of Earth," he said turning to face Edwar sideways and pointing to the badge he wore on his uniform's shoulder, which displayed Earth's symbol.  
  
"We are just relived you are not Ra, we could not have survived another attack," Rindan said trying to avoid eye contact.  
  
"Excuse me? Who?" Naylor said his ears pricking up at the sound of 'Ra'.   
  
"Ra," Rindan repeated, "He always leads the gods when they come here to choose," Rindan reassured the Colonel.  
  
"I hate to tell you this guys... but Ra's dead," Naylor said stepping towards Rindan. "Trust me."  
  
"Then how can he..." Rindan trailed off unsure of what to make of the situation. The last few months of his life had been confusing enough, firstly the ring of stone is activated... something Rindan had never seen before, then gods appear who claim all the people of all lands were rightfully theirs, now these strange new travellers appear and claim the gods are dead.   
  
"Sir," Allison said coming around the fire to stand next to Naylor, "We know for a fact Ra is dead."  
  
"Like we knew for a fact Apophis was dead?" Donnelly chimed in, fearful that the first Goa'uld the SGC ever encountered could still be alive. "No," Allison said dismissing the idea, "We know this because we've heard the Goa'uld speak of Ra's death," Allison reassured Donnelly and to some extent herself.  
  
"Ok Sergeant, how do you explain what he's saying then?" Blake said, his voice cutting what had before been quite a warm atmosphere for Allison. His voice, his tone, his words they all seemed to cut at Allison. "I don't know," she said trying to avoid showing her discomfort able physically, "Sir," she corrected herself a moment later remembering Blake was of a higher rank.  
  
"Please," Edwar said. "My people will be cold away from the fire. May we share the fire in friendship?" he asked his mind flooding back to the cause of his people, who at that time were preparing to spend the night in the open air in the middle of the forest.  
  
"Of course," Naylor said, "After all it's your planet." 


	4. A night on Simarka

"So," Allison said. She'd been discussing what had been happening with Rindan since he and his father had returned with the rest of his tribe. Colonel Naylor and Captain Blake had been inside the Chief's tent for sometime discussing whoknowswhat with Edwar and his brother. Whilst Donnelly had taken an interest in whatever the tribe's women had begun to cook.  
  
"What do you mean exactly by choose?" she asked, she'd found out that only three or four Jaffa come with this 'Ra' every time he comes to the planet, but that's about all she'd actually gotten from the rather cryptic answers Rindan had given so far. So Allison had decided to ask him more direct questions.  
  
"When the stone ring is activated the gods they come and hunt us down and take the youngest and the fittest back with them through the stone ring."  
  
"How many have they taken from your tribe so far?"  
  
"We have been lucky," Rindan said, "The people of the Steppe and the people of the forest have been completely wiped out. We, the people of the river, have only lost eight or nine."  
  
"Do you mean all the people of the steppe and forest were chosen?"  
  
"No," Rindan said abruptly taking a quick mouthful of the cup of ale he'd been nursing since he and his father had returned with the tribe. "Some were chosen, the others tried to resist and were killed."  
  
"Why haven't any of your people been killed?"  
  
"Because we do not resist, we hide when our 'watcher of the stone ring' warns us of the god's approach and if someone if chosen then we do not fight the gods, if we did we all be killed."  
  
Allison sat blankly for a moment, she didn't think any people could be so... calisse. "Wouldn't you rather try and fight them than just give up?" Allison finally said hiding her new disgust for Rindan's ways.  
  
"They are gods, we could not hurt them even if we did resist," Rindan said.  
  
Allison opened her mouth to tell Rindan again that the Goa'uld weren't gods and that they could be hurt, but instead she let it go. "Why haven't your people fled far away from the Stargate?" she asked, it had been a questioned that had been nagging her for sometime.  
  
"Most of the peoples of the valley have fled to the plateaus of the Walat Mountains or the west banks of the Ogene river. But we cannot as these tribes are not friendly towards us, and fleeing there would mean sure death or slavery for all our people."  
  
Allison's attention was distracted away from Rindan when the Colonel and Blake finally emerged from the Chief's tent. The Colonel stretched and yawned as he came out, he wasn't one for lengthy meeting or discussions... especially when they involved sitting down for long periods of time.  
  
"Sir," Allison said nodding to Rindan before rising to her feet and heading towards Naylor. "What happened?" she asked wanting to gain as much information as she could.   
  
"We had a little talk," Naylor said avoiding the question, "Find anything out?" he asked.  
  
"A little sir, apparently this tribe isn't friendly with the others and that's why they cannot flea this area round the Stargate, I also found out that they no longer make the drugs we came here for."  
  
"We found out pretty much the same thing Sergeant," Naylor said disappointed she hadn't found out anything more. "They seem friendly enough, but if they don't have the drugs we're shipping out at dawn."  
  
"What?" Allison said. Naylor frowned as he sensed an impending complaint. "Shouldn't we stay and found out if Ra is still alive?" she said totally amazed that the Colonel would suggest returning to Earth before they done this.  
  
"Look," Naylor said, "We'll inform Command, they'll inform the Tok'ra and that'll be the matter settled for us."  
  
Allison looked stunned for a moment, she really didn't know what to say, she hadn't imaged that the Colonel wouldn't want to find out what was going on with the return of Ra.  
  
The Colonel smiled and pushed past her and headed for where he'd left the blankets he was using for sleeping before Edwar had appeared. "Now we should all get some sleep, Edwar says it'll be dawn in about 7 hours." 


	5. Life of a Deadman

Allison leaped from where she'd fallen asleep beside the fire. She'd been awoken by the familiar sound of a staff weapon.   
  
She went for her gun, which she'd left next to her pack against the nearest tent. With herself armed she looked around the camp to find Donnelly, Blake and the Colonel doing the same thing. Several of the tribe had awoken as well, and Edwar, Rindan and Edwar's brother: Loleren, had all appeared from their tent.   
  
"The Gods!" Rindan yelled, awaking the remainder of the tribe. "They have arrived for the choosing we must run!" he yelled looking to his father for approval of his orders. Edwar nodded and turned to the Colonel. "Come friends, we will help hide you from the gods," he offered.  
  
"Thanks, but no thanks," Naylor said slamming a magazine into his gun. Dawn wasn't more than an hour away and the forest had already begun to become a tiny bit more illuminated, which of course increased the team's ability to see what the hell was going on.  
  
"Donnelly," Naylor said attracting the attentions of the Lieutenant, "You and the Sergeant stay here. Me and Blake are gonna go find where that Staff blast came from." The team all nodded in agreement, before breaking off into their respective teams and moving into appropriate positions.   
  
"I have located several Humans attempting to head for the caves," the Jaffa said. His armour wore the brand of Sokar. "And I have located many more Humans headed for the deep forest," a second Jaffa said, his armour wearing the brand of Yu. "Excellent," said a third man. This one wore no protective armour, instead he was adorned with rather free flowing cloaks held towards by a golden over the shoulder belt. "Lead on," the man said gesturing in the direction the Yu Jaffa had returned to him from. "Of course my lord," said the Jaffa.   
  
The party of three had not gone more than a few paces that a third Jaffa, this one with the armour of Baal, came running up. "My lord," he said addressing the man adorned with leisurely designed clothes. "There," was the only word he managed to get out of his mouth before a stream of perfectly crafted bullets hit him in the spine... sending him, in horrific pain, to the ground. All three others watched him falling before raising their heads very quickly in the direction they'd heard the bullets from.  
  
"You supposed to be Ra?" Naylor asked, his weapon out-stretched and his finger a centimetre away from touching the trigger. "You look nothing like him," he said referring to the detailed descriptions that had been written about Ra's likeness upon the return of the team after the original Abydos mission.   
  
"Kill him!" exclaimed the man, obviously angered by the Colonel's words. The two Jaffa began to ready their weapons but we struck down by Blake's weapon, which he brandished as he appeared from the line of trees directly behind where the party of Jaffa had just passed.   
  
Naylor smiled as he drew closer to the now defenceless man. "You'll pay if you harm me," the man said, his voice becoming easily identifiable as a Goa'uld as Naylor drew close enough to hear his words. "Sure we will," he said sarcastically.   
  
Blake was now directly behind the Goa'uld, his weapon had been safety'd by the Goa'uld didn't know that. "Shut you crap," Blake said his voice filled with hatred, "And does what we say."  
  
Naylor didn't like what Blake was doing, but went along with it for the sake of appearances in front of their prisoner. As Naylor finished eyeing up their captured Goa'uld he took a look at the three fallen Jaffa. At first he'd taken no notice of their markings, but a second look made him realise they were from the ranks of different system lords.  
  
He frowned, rather confused. Surely a Goa'uld system lord wouldn't have his closest contingent being made up of deserted from other System lords. "Explain your Jaffa's odd markings," Naylor said trying to make his voice deeper and much stronger.  
  
The Goa'uld smirked, "You fool," he said smiling not answering the Colonel's question. "You do not even realise who I am."  
  
"Shut it," Blake said pressing his gun more heavily into the Goa'uld back whilst grabbing hold of him by the shoulder, which made the Goa'uld simply laugh.  
  
Naylor, despite the Goa'uld rather ominous laugh assumed victory and produced his victory cigar from his upper left pocket and proceeded to light it with a match he'd gotten from the same pocket. "Ah," he said letting out a wave of smoke from it, "Good stuff," he commented smiling at the Goa'uld. Contemplating what he was to do with him.   
  
"So," Naylor said deciding to finally get into the questioning. "Are you supposed to be Ra?" the Colonel asked repeating his earlier question. The Goa'uld didn't say anything for a moment "That is merrily a guise I have been using to trick the occupants of this world," he said finally. Naylor was at a loss for words for a second, stunned by the Goa'uld's cooperate nature. "Why exactly have you been using a guise?"  
  
"To make sure if the people of the Tau'ri or the Tok'ra come here they will not trace my acts to me."  
  
A wise move, said the Colonel to himself wondering why a Goa'uld had never tried that before. Probably because before now they'd never had a big enough external threats to warrant such tactics.  
  
"So what's your real name?"  
  
"Ha!" laughed the Goa'uld, "You take me for a fool?"  
  
"Well..." said Naylor, his humour only apparent to him. As it was lost on Blake and the Goa'uld.  
  
"Sir," came Allison's voice over the radio. Naylor took a moment from his questioning the Goa'uld to answer the Sergeant. "Yes Sergeant?" he said taking his radio receiver from it's clip on his uniform.  
  
"We've got a problem here sir," she said, "We've got multiple Jaffa."  
  
"What?!" Naylor said, he and Blake had been monitoring the Goa'uld and his party for almost their entire time on the world and hadn't seen more than the three Jaffa they'd killed and the Goa'uld. "We've captured the Goa'uld posing as Ra," he confirmed. "I'm on my way to your location now," he said reloading his weapon and giving a glance towards Blake which meant to keep the Ra-guise Goa'uld there.  
  
"Hurry sir," Allison's voice came over the radio, Naylor could barely hear it over the noise of staff blasts and screaming that also filtered through the radio.  
  
Naylor ran through the forest, it seemed a lot small in the daylight... he felt rather embarrassed he'd become lost in it.  
  
The Colonel slowed his pace as he started getting closer to the staff blast noises. He took a position in hiding that overlooked the settlement, the same one Edwar and Rindan had used the night previous, before they'd known SG-14 were not the gods.  
  
He used the sight on his gun to take a look around, the staff blasts had stopped. In fact everything had stopped, there was no noise no visible movement... nothing. 


	6. Eve of Capture

"Where are you, you bastards," muttered Naylor under his breath his finger over the trigger of his weapon... his right eye glued to the weapon's sight.

"Drop your weapon Tau'ri," came a voice from behind the Colonel. Naylor instantly recognized it as a Jaffa's voice, deep, rasping and simply pure arrogance.

"Damn," said Naylor loudly as he got to his feet. "I said," said the Jaffa, "Drop your weapon now!"

The Colonel's mind worked quickly, he needed to formulate some way he was going to get himself out of the dilatation he'd found himself in. Just as he was going to give up and lay down his weapon he saw Allison coming towards him at an alarming speed in the corner of his eye. "You ever been attacked by a woman?" Naylor asked smiling.

The Jaffa took a moment to respond, unsure of really how to react, "Wh..." was the only thing to escape his lips before Allison came bolting up to him, diving at the large Jaffa. The Jaffa was knocked to the ground and his staff weapon sent flying from his hand.

Allison made it to her feet before the Jaffa could and she quickly reached for the Zat Gun the Jaffa had been wearing around his belt, and that had fallen off in their struggle. She gave the Zat gun a tight squeeze and it let off a bolt of lighting like fire which sent the Jaffa into the depths of unconsciousness.

"There's more of them," Allison said as Naylor threw his weapon on it's straps to sit around his back comfortably. He then picked up the Jaffa's staff weapon, "No point wasting bullets," he smiled... his love of using Goa'uld weaponry preceding him.

Allison and the Colonel's attention was again distracted when a staff blast shot past Naylor's head and into a tree at breakneck speed. "Wow," Naylor exclaimed dropping to the floor before letting of a staff blast into the chest of the firer. The Jaffa fell to the floor, his armour burnt black and his ribcage broken from absorbing the full impact of the Staff's blast.

"Anymore?" the Colonel asked. "Nope, I got the rest," Allison said her face beaming, happy to have gotten her first Jaffa kills.

"Where have the Eunani gone?" Naylor said half walking and half sliding down the slope and into the camp.

"Some were killed, including the chief's brother... but most escaped into the hills whilst me and Donnelly held back the Jaffa," Allison said following the Colonel in the same fashion.

"Where's the Lieutenant now?" asked Naylor coming into the middle of the camp.

"He's..." Allison trailed off, only now realising she hadn't seen Donnelly for some time. "He's..." she repeated spinning around hoping to catch a glimpse of her charismatic team mate. When she failed to locate him she turned to the Colonel, "I don't know sir."

"Donnelly," Naylor said picking up his radio and open the channel. "Lieutenant Donnelly this is Colonel Naylor please respond over," the Colonel continued after waiting a moment for the Lieutenant to reply. "Lieutenant Donnelly?!" he then cried down the radio.

When Donnelly again failed to respond the Colonel returned his radio to his pack and turned to Allison, "Damn," he remarked.

"I've left Blake holding the Goa'uld hostage. I'm going to help him bring the Goa'uld back here. I want you to bring the Eunani back here. We can conclude the talks about obtaining the drugs then. After that we can go home."

"Understood," Allison said starting off at a brisk pace towards the mountains where the Eunani had hidden. "And keep a look out for Donnelly," Naylor yelled after her as he headed off back towards where he'd left Blake.

"Captain Blake this is Colonel Naylor are you reading me, over?" the Colonel said as he made his way through the forest. A few short moments of static returned on the radio before Blake's voice finally broke through, "Blake here sir, I'm reading you."

"Is our friend," Naylor said referring to the captured Goa'uld, "still secure? over"

"He is, over," Blake responded.

The Colonel raised the radio to his mouth once again to converse further, but decided not to. The Captain was in no attitude for this mission, Naylor wanted to give his friend time to adjust to life in the SGC without Amanda... but Blake hadn't changed and his attitude towards everything was still appalling. As Naylor made his way across the open grass that followed the forest before reaching where Blake held the Goa'uld the Colonel made the decision to suggest Blake being taken off the active roster until he's calmed down and gotten over the loss of Corporeal Johnson.

"Captain," Naylor yelled out as he drew close to where, he saw the Goa'uld they'd captured earlier tied to a small yet sturdy tree and could see no Blake.

"Blake?!" he yelled out after Blake didn't reply. "God damnit," he said. "That▓s all I need two missing officers."

He walked with purpose towards the Goa'uld, who looked rather too happy for someone who'd been captured by their mortal enemy and tied to a tree. "Where's Blake?" Naylor asked.

The Goa'uld simply continued to smile. "I said," the Colonel continued raising his hand and striking the Goa'uld. "Where's Captain Blake?"

The Goa'uld turned his head back to face Naylor after he'd been hit. His smile had gone, it was replaced with a look more of pure hatred and contempt... more stereotype Goa'uld like.

"Your companion has felt my wrath," the Goa'uld said his eyes glowing golden. Naylor had a smart-ass remark ready to throw back at the Goa'uld but he was knocked from behind with something heavy and metal... he fell unconscious.

"Are you alright sir?" came Donnelly's voice. His soft way was welcome noise to the headache plagued head of Naylor.

"No," the Colonel said being bluntly honest. "It'll wear off," came a second voice, this one belonging to Blake.

"Blake? Donnelly?" Naylor said gathering the names in his head in an attempt to concentrate on something other than the splitting pain that felt like a knife in the back of his head. "Where's Sergeant Howard?"

"I'm here," came Allison's voice. Naylor finally opened his eyes and was helped to drag himself from the floor by Donnelly. "Where are we?" asked Naylor sitting up against what felt like a metallic wall. "A Goa'uld ship," Allison said her voice obviously and understandably full of dread and fear.

"What happened?" the Colonel asked, his mind was still alive with agony.

"I was knocked out when the Jaffa attacked the camp," Donnelly said. "I can't remember what happened to me," Blake said, his voice as usual distanced and uncaring.

"And I was heading up to the caves to tell the Eunani it was safe when I was ambushed by a group of Jaffa," Allison chimed in a moment later.

"So basically we were all captured by that Goa'uld's Jaffa and brought here," Naylor said summarizing the stories.

"Actually," Allison said. "According to what I've been told by Donnelly and Blake and what I've seen myself the Goa'uld you captured seems to have Jaffa from many different system lords under his command."

"That▓s right," the Colonel said remembering the different markings he'd seen on the Jaffa he and Blake had killed in their capture of the Goa'uld.

"We've never seen that before," Naylor continued, giving a sigh of relief as the pain in his head began to die down to more easily tolerable levels.

The room had fallen silent... the four had shared what little information they'd gathered with each other over 20 minutes previously. The four were locked inside a tiny room, they shared the room with a collection of cargo crates, which led the team to believe they were aboard a cargo ship rather than a mothership or attack vessel. Goa'uld was written, sprawled across everything... the crates and the walls. As known of them could read fluent Goa'uld they were at a lose as to what it all said but they guessed it had something to do with the contents of the crates. Which after opening one they'd discovered by thousands of capsules of the drug produced on Simarka.

The silence was finally broken by the approaching noise of the familiar Jaffa armour clanking along the hard metallic floors.

"Heads up," Naylor said standing up and trying to prepare himself to meet with whatever Jaffa or Goa'uld was coming to gloat.

"Well well," came a unmistakably Goa'uld voice from around the corner. Nothing else was said until the Goa'uld turned the corner to reveal himself as the same Goa'uld Blake and Naylor had captured on the surface 


	7. Being Captured sucks

"Mr. Ra I presume," Naylor said offering his Goa'uld captor a quick sarcastic smile. The Colonel was never one to give his captors any benefits or gloating rights.

"You do not believe your eyes Tau'ri?" the Goa'uld asked his eyes flaring afterward.

"Ra's dead buddy, I know because a good friend of mine was responsible.

The Goa'uld have a smirk, as if he knew something Naylor didn't, but then again the Goa'uld always acted like that. It was all part of their major superiority complexes.

"Where are you taking us?" Allison chimmed in getting up from the floor and walking forward to stand next to the Colonel.

The Goa'uld had turned to leave... Naylor's attitude might have spooked him or something but he seemed rather eager to leave, but he turned back to answer Allison's question.

"You will be put to trial on my homeworld," he said before turning to leave again.

After he'd left the Jaffa guards returned and the doors to the cell block closed.

Naylor turned back around to the rest of the group. Allison had returned to her previous "seat" next to Donelly on the floor.

"So boys and girls," he said trying to lift their spirits, "We need an escape plan."

He was stating the obvious... but none of them really had any idea.

For Allison her first trip offworld wasn't going very well. For Blake his life was simply getting worse. And for Donnelly... he really wanted to get to know Allison better.

"Ok..." Naylor said trailing off after leaving a moment of silence for any of his team to pipe in with an escape plan.

Naylor sat back on the floor, "What about you Blake? Come on... you got us out of that Fendrosian prison camp."

Blake blinked and looked up at Naylor, an expression of almost hatred was spread across his face, "They were weak Fendrosians... we're dealing with the Goa'uld now," the Captain pointed out.

Naylor sighed, "Well we've gotta try something, we can't just wait here 'til we reach this guy's homeworld and we're put to death."

Allison suddenly piped in, she wanted to change the subject away from their seemingly hopeless situation, "How do you think that Goa'uld really is? I mean... it can't be Ra can it?"

Naylor glanced up at the newest member of his team, she'd preformed quite well... even during the live fire situation during the encounter with the Jaffa that lead to the team's capture.

"Ra IS dead," he said positively. He knew it, Naylor was quite a good friend around the SGC with Colonel O'Neill... and he'd been told the story of the first mission and the killing of Ra by the man himself.

"That Goa'uld... must be somesort of imposter."

"Or Clone," Allison suggested. "The technology must exist somewhere out there..."

Naylor frowned, he didn't like the idea that the Goa'uld some many humans had fought and died to kill could be simply brought back.

"In any case," Blake said butting in... his voice as usual devoid of fealing and warmth. "Knowing exactly who our captor is doesn't help us escape, does it?"

There was a moment of silence as the other members of the team tried to decide how best to deal with B lake's continueing bad attitude.

"We don't know why this guy is using other Goa'uld's Jaffa too," Donnelly finally said. He was raising a valid point, but it angered Blake further. Before the death of Johnson, Allison's predecessor, Blake and Donelly had been quite close friends... but since Johnson's death Blake had just become self involved and angry, at everything and everyone.

"Very true," Allison said quickly afterwards wanting to keep the conversation going without a pause for Blake to again interupt.

Naylor lent back against the wall of the small cell, "We gotta get out of here..." he said under his breath as he closed his eyes and tried to think of something they'd missed.

Another hour had passed and Naylor was the last of the team to remain awake. The others had unanimously decided that getting some rest would be a good idea if they were to make an escape.

The ship's travel had been quite smooth, indicating they'd been in hyperspace for the duration of the journey, but suddenly there was a bump. A large enough one that it awoke Allison and Blake.

Naylor nodded towards Donnelly, and Allison nudged him awake... he always had been a heavy sleeper.

"I think we've just left hyperspace," Naylor said sharing his hypothesis about why there had been a bump.

"Brilliant deduction," Blake said... his antagonist attitude was turning even against the Colonel now.

"Where the hell are we now!" Donnelly asked, he didn't really expect an answer.

"We can't have gone far, we have only been in hyperspace for a few hours tops," the Colonel said reassuringly... if they hadn't gone far that meant they would still probably be within the gate network. Meaning they still have a chance of getting home.

A few moments later there was a slight decrease in the g-pressure and the team concluded it must be because the ship had stopped.

None of them knew what type of ship they were aboard, other than it was Goa'uld in origin. They had been unconscious when they'd been brought aboard. For all they knew they could be aboard the biggest Goa'uld mothership ever and they had zero chance of escape. Or they could be on a lowly cargo ship...

"Shh," the Colonel said holding his index finger across his lips as he heard the unmistakable clunk-clunk of approaching Jaffa guards.

The doors to the cell room once again slid open and once again the fake Ra stood before them.

"We have at what will be your final resting place!" the Goa'uld chimed.

Naylor frowned, he was putting on the brave face pioneered by Colonel O'Neil, "I doubt that," Naylor said.

The Goa'uld laughed a mighty and lengthy classically evil laugh.

"And I," Ra said, "doubt THAT."

Without another word the Goa'uld spun around, his cloak dragging along the floor rather unceremoniously and left the cell room. Left behind were five fresh Jaffa guards... who deactivated the cell's force field.

Naylor had the sudden urge to rush the guards, even though they were outnumbered. He made ready himself into a rather aggressive stance... but decided to back down after a guard noticed him and said "Try it... please! I'm longing to kill my first Tau'ri!"

Naylor softened his stance once again and nodded to the others to allow themselves to go with the guards, they knew they'd get an opportunity to escape... but that wasn't it. 


	8. A Fool's Ransom

"I think we're landing."

Naylor was crouched down low, his feet being a little too small for his boots, meant they were curling up ever so slightly at his toes. The others were sat or laid in a variety of comfort enducing postures, that would make anyone think they weren't facing almost certain death!

"How do you know? I can't see any windows," Allison asked, forcing her body up from the fetal positions to mimic Naylor's crouch.

"I've been aboard more than my fair share of spaceship rides... you get a sense for these sort of things."

"Where do you think we are?" Donnelly asked, joining the other three in their crouch.

"Well, If I had to guess I'd say in a storage room that's doubling as a jail," Naylor grinned as he spoke.

"I conjecture we somewhere outside of the gate network. Otherwise they would have had no reason to transport us by ship." Blake's attitude stunk, but his logic was obviously intact.

"I thought these guys had been visiting Simarka through the stargate though?"

"It's possible then, that they are using starships because they have learned the Eunani were posting scouts in the stargate's vercinity," Donnelly added, not wanting to be left behind in the conjecturing stakes.

Naylor opened his mouth, both to take a deep breath but also to speak, but was forced to close it without having shared his thoughts as the door to their storage closet-come-jail grinded open.

In walked the Demi-Ra, multi-coloured cloaks and all. The brave and insulant Tau'ri group of four all rose from their crouches to be face-to-face with their captor. As the Demi-Ra's eyes glowed a bright yellow he spoke; "You are my prisoners. If you wish to return to your homeworld. You will do exactly as I command."

Naylor looked at Allison to his left, and then Donnelly to his right. Was he hearing this right? Your stereotypical Goa'uld would have marched into the chamber, accompanied by god-knows how many Jaffa warriers, ready to fortell the doom of his Earthling captives. This one, wanted to make a deal for their safe release? Something didn't quite add up...

"Errrr, Yeah. Sure." Naylor had decided in his moment to contemplate that agreeing was a pretty safe bet. Playing nice would at least mean he and his team weren't going to be struck down by Staff blasts, for the moment at least.

Demi-Ra raised his jewel encrusted hand and clicked a control on the back of his other wrist. No a moment passed before five very large Jaffa warriors filled the room, each seeming to be bigger than the last. Except the last one, Naylor noticed, who was slightly shorter than the first.

"Take them to the Black room. We will film their plea there."

The Demi-Ra commanded and his Jaffa obliged unquestioningly. But something didn't add up in Naylor's mind. As he was pushed and pulled, and forced from the room that had been his home and only entertainment for the last few hours towards, what he could remember from his last trip aboard a Goa'uld cargo ship, was the personnel exit, Naylor pondered why a fake Ra was giving the orders around here, and why all the Jaffa had different markings, AND why they were above to film somesort of plea for money... or whatever the hell this guy wanted.

As the cargo ship's ramp began it's slow wind down the SG team were forced to shield their eyes for a split second. The light inside their hostel had been infinitely less bright, than the natural light now flooding the area where they stood, amplified by the gold finish on all the walls.

One last push from his guard sent Naylor almost falling down the ramp. The Colonel managed to just correct his step when Donnelly came crashed into his, obviously falling where Naylor had succeeded, and left both of them in a jumble on the floor. Looking up into the sky, you could be fooled into thinking this alien world was the woodland near Vancouver, on Earth. The sky was a clear blue, with a very faint white cloud here and there. Nothing seemed unusual, until they were both stood up, one in each arm, of the very largest of the guards.

By this time, the Demi-Ra had descended from the transport ship, and the hatch had sealed. "Welcome," he said coming around to the front of the group. He stood between the SG teams, their guards and a large stone built rectangular building. Although moss was growing rampantly without equal in most of the building's crevaces the colour of the stone indicated the structure had not stood for long. But perhaps the most fascinating thing about the building, wasn't it's location completely isolated in a small forest clearing, it was the shere size of it, but that fact it housed a very large satellite dish-looking contraption atop it.

"To my humble abode."

Being led inside was as a painful experience as being taken from the ship to the ground, but at least this time Naylor and Donnelly didn't end up in a compramising positions together on the floor.

"Hold the other three here," Demi-Ra commanded in his all-powerful Goa'uld tone.

"Their leader I wish to speak to."

The Jaffa paused for a moment, it was the first time he had seen any hestitation in any of the Goa'uld minions.

"Jaffa, kree!" Demi-Ra ordered in an even louder more domanearing voice. Although the Jaffa followed suit with their master's requests, the last of them... the smallest one, watched Ra with a suspicious look in his eye as he went past.

Demi-Ra was left alone with Naylor, who's hands had been secured since entering the building.

"Your people, I'm sure, will pay hansomly for your return," Ra began... his voice lower than before, but still imposing.

"I wouldn't count on it, it's not as if you've captured SG-1," Naylor scoughed, but inside he was praying to be able to see his family and friends in Oregon again.

"What shall I ask for?" Ra said, starting to pace around Naylor, who stood rigid still in the middle of the not-so-grandeous entrance hallway of the structure. "Gold perhaps? Or diamonds? Or somesort of other mineral wealth your world may be rich in? Or perhaps..."

The Demi-Ra stopped infront of Naylor. The glow in his eyes was gone, the swagger in his movements was muted, and the muscle in his speech was gone. He spoke now, in a completely humanized voice, without a trace of Goa'uld and an noticable absence of glowing eyes.

"Or perhaps, they'll give me asylum?" 


	9. Smile, you're on Camera

"I don't know what kinda games you go going on here," Naylor said looking into the eyes of the Demi-Ra with a different perception. At first, he return of the long-dead Goa'uld had instilled fear, then mystery about his return, and then puzzlement over various parts of his operation that didn't quite add up.

"You got guys with different tribal Jaffa markings on them running around. You capture us, take us to this damned stone age TV station and now you're asking to come back to Earth with us?"

The Demi-Ra merely nodded at each statement Naylor went through, as if he knew everything he was saying was correct.

Naylor saw his opportunity. He didn't really understand what the hell was going on, and why this guy... who might not even be a Goa'uld is asking for his help, AFTER taking him captive. But my golly, he was going to try and play him to his team's advantage, perhaps even managing to escape to leave this looney alone in his stone house with his other friends.

"I might be able to arrange something with my superiors..." Naylor said, he could see his captor, and former intimidator was hanging on his every word.

"If you can tell me why the you're pretending to be Ra..."

"Okay, look..." Demi-Ra began.

"Oh Lord!" came in the interuption from the smallest of the Jaffa warriors, he wore the markings of a Goa'uld Naylor had yet to encounter.

"Our equipment is ready to make the footage," he said, "My leige," he added quickly afterward. Whatever command structure this "gang" seemed to have was apparently breaking down around them.

"Yes yes, of course," Ra said, the glow return to his eyes and the Goa'uld in his voice returning to it's full effect.

"This way, dog!" he said, hitting Naylor on the spine with the back of his jewelled hand.

The room the others were being held certainly wasn't titled "the black room" for nothing. The walls were all completely dark. Only a small light seeming to come from a source hidden away in the ceiling and the yellow glow coming from the doorway where Naylor was now being forcifully ushered through provided an escape from the darkness. A small floating cylindrical device was the only feature of the room. It was elevating itself using somesort of pale light beam eminating from behind it. Allison had conjectured it was somekind of recording device. It was an estimated guess based on what they knew they had been captured for, and the large camera lens-looking thing stuck on the front of it!

"Get over there with the others," the littest Jaffa pushed Naylor toward where his comrades were sat on the floor in a group, all bound up.

Naylor managed to stay on his feet, but still collided with Blake as he could not stop his momentum in time. Expecting somesort of comment Naylor soon shot off Blake, but none came... Blake looked as if he was genuinely scared... frightened for his own future and those of who he used to call friends.

All the Jaffa retreated to a safe proximity behind the camera-looking device. The Demi-Ra seemed to have lost interest, and nervously stood near, the now closed, entranceway.

Allison moved a little closer to the Colonel, "How do we know that thing is a camera, and not some kind of weapon that'll wipe our minds... or melt our skin off... or worse... make our hair fall out!"

Naylor looked up at Allison, it wasn't very often the Colonel was sure of himself but this mission had proved to be a very odd one indeed, and he wasn't sure of anything anymore.  
"I guess we'll have to just find out." 


	10. Meanwhile

The air was thick, the way it always was when you were hundreds of feet below the Earth's surface. The former missile silo that now housed the government's top secret Stargate program Headquarters was always a buzz of activity. Normally it would be SG-1, and it's charasmatic leader Colonel O'Neill coming in hot from his team's latest escapade onto one Goa'uld held planet or another, but today was different.

General Hammond sat at the head of the SGC's long mahogany conference table. Besides the General, and a sea of currently out-of-use television trolleys and flip cards, only Colonel O'Neil and Teal'c occupied the room.

"And that's the situation Colonel." The General had just finished explaining the story, from SG-14's failure to check it at the pre-arranged time, to the SGC receiving the transmission asking for ransom.

The Colonel remained quiet for a moment, his head was down and he seemed to be reading over the brief in front of him.  
"Can I start of by saying," O'Neil begun, looking up, "And I don't think I'm wrong here," he looked over at Teal'c as if he was after his agreement, "That this would NEVER ever would've happened if you'd sent my team in."

O'Neil smiled, but continued to a more serious note before the General could intervene. "But," he said raising his index finger to make a point, "this isn't exactly normal behaviour for Goa'uld."

"I must agree with Colonel O'Neil," Teal'c said in his normal calm manor. "I do not believe the system lords would be interested in Earth's mineral wealth."

The General nodded absorbing the information put forth by his two trusted advisors. "Do you recognize the markings on the Jaffa we saw on the video"  
Hammond turned around in his seat, and pulled one of the Television trolleys closer, and pressed the play button on the VCR. A playback began, which Hammond fast forwarded through the most part... it was the black room where SG-14 were being held, they were just talking about the demands their captors were making. Hammond suddenly hit the play button, toward the end of the footage, just as that small Jaffa stepped across the video to slap Allison across the face and drag her toward the camera, before uttering something in Goa'uld to those watching, which Carter had said translated roughly as 'I bet you'd hate for anything to happen to this female'. The video stopped there.

"I do indeed," Teal'c said, "Although I have never seen them on a Jaffa in my lifetime. He bears the markings of a Goa'uld system lord called Kiira who's armies were defeated many millennia ago."

"It is possible some of his Jaffa survived the war that saw the death of their master?" Hammond asked.

"It is," Teal'c said, "But they would not be alive today. We Jaffa have long lives, but not that of thousands of years."

"Do you think he just woke up that morning and put the round armour on then?" O'Neill suggested.

"Either that, or these Jaffa are not who they claim to be," Teal'c determined.

Hammond paused for a moment, assessing the information he had, and the information he'd been offered by Teal'c and O'Neil. "I agree with Teal'c, this isn't common Goa'uld behaviour. They would have more likely killed SG-14 straight away, rather than risking prisoners."

"So what do we do General?" O'Neill asked, his legs longed for some movement and his trigger finger was starting to itch. He was an old wardog, that's for certain.

"They gave us a gate address where we could drop of whatever resources we were to trade for our people, and a seperate one we could dial in order to communicate with them. It was suggest they are spread across more than one world."

"Yes but," came a fourth voice, it was Daniel Jackson, he had been requested at the meeting, but was off-base at the time, "the two gates addresses are very similar... indicating, usually, that the two planets are in close proximity... maybe the next star over."

Daniel was still in his civies, and was reading the same print out the other three had as he walked in. He took a seat next to Teal'c and finally looked up at the others, who were all starring at him.

"Oh right, yeah... sorry. Got the last flight home."

"Well, nice to see you," O'Neill said, not really sure if he was being sarcastic or not.

"We'll dial the first address and send a MALP through, see what happens," Hammond decided.

"If we can make contact with this... what are we calling them at the minute? Fake Goa'uld? If we can arrange a meeting to exchange our people for the resources they're asking for then maybe we can get our team back in somesort of... you know..." Daniel trailed off, he really didn't know how to word military terms.

"... death, shooting, tactical thingy."

"You mean a Strategically planned Tactical rescue operation?" O'Neill offered, he nodded his head in Jackson's direction and shook his head, much to Hammond's amusement.

"Okay people. It's a plan. Let's get our people home." Hammond rose from the table, satisfied work had been done and progress had been made. 


	11. Never rip off Lord Yu

The Black Room had been a hub of activity for the last hour or so. A film had been produced with SG-14 at gun point making the ransom demands against Earth, whilst Ra watched on. But now the room lay silent. The Earth team were sat huddled in the corner opposite from the room's only door, and their contingent of guards had been slowly dwindling as the Jaffa seemed to grow tired, or bored, and wandered off. Only the little Jaffa, and Ra remained; the room's door was shut. 

"Hey!" Naylor spoke in a hush tone, but a loud one; he was addressing Ra.

Ra looked over at the little Jaffa, who was lent up the wall nearest the door looking the other way. With the coast clear Ra took a few steps towards the humans.

"They'll never negotiate with you, the SGC won't give you what you've asked for."

Ra was about to respond when the little Jaffa began to notce the exchange was occured. Stomping over with a mechanical sluggishness in his Jaffa metallic boots he came to stand between the two of them.

"There is nothing further to discuss with the prisoners," he said, after giving an evil glare at Naylor, and addressed Ra.

"Hey! I didn't think you could talk to your GOD like that!" Allison said scrambling over to be beside Naylor.

"Infact," Donnelly now said, joining in, "I don't even think a REAL Jaffa would be able to do such a thing."

The little Jaffa turned around, bringing the Zat gun from his belt to his hands. He took aim at the group.

"I can get your asylum!" Naylor yelled at Ra. The fake's face told the story, he was worried... indecisively wanting someone to make the decision for him. Should he betray his comrades, give up on everything they've worked for and trust these Earthers?

Suddenly from the shadows Blake lunged forward, he had made the decision for the Demi-Ra. Catching the little Jaffa off guard was the easy part... now that he and Blake wrestled on the floor, getting the Zat gun from a man with arms as thick as tree trunks was the hard part.

Donnelly rushed over to secure Ra, who had been reduced to a quiet half a figure, and Naylor leapt upon the Jaffa to assist Blake. A few swift right hands to the mouth soon loosened the Jaffa's grip on his Zat weapon, which Allison, who had been waiting in the wings, soon grabbed.

Naylor looked over his shoulder, taking a quick glance to make sure Allison was now armed and in position before he and Blake symataneously jumped off the Jaffa. He rose to his feet with a speed unexpected of someone with such little height and such muscle mass, and was about to charge after his would be attackers, when his face met with Allison... holding the Zat gun at full arms length.

"I presume you're aware of how this thing works. One shot, you're stunned. Two shots, you're pretty dead... and three your body disintergrates. And I've never been very good at counting."

Naylor looked over at his newest team members and smiled, he would've been proud of that line himself.

The Jaffa raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, but Allison shot of the Zat gun anyway... sending the Jaffa to the ground dazed.

"Better safe than sorry," she said holstering the Zat and stepping over the fallen Jaffa toward where Blake, Naylor and Donelly were all grouped around the Demi-Ra, who was now crouching lent back against the wall.

"Rychek! We had been in it since the beginning!"

"Right," Naylor said bending down to Ra's level.

"I think you'd better explain what the hell is going on."

"Why are your telling the people of Simarka you're Ra?" Allison asked.

"And why," it was Donnelly's turn, "do you have Jaffa wearing the emblems of different system lords?"

"And how come you've turned into this snivalling excuse for a Goa'uld now... and was even taking orders from a grunt like that," Blake said, gesturing back toward their stunned friend.

"And more importantly how the hell do we get out of here?" Naylor hit home with what really mattered. Other questions could be answered back at the SGC, for now the priority was to escape. Ra had other plans...

"I'm not really Ra," he admitted.

"No kidding," Allison said, "So who are you?"

"I'm not really even a Goa'uld," the Demi-Ra said. He reached into his pocket and withdrew a small cubic device. "This is a Goa'uld impersinator, I bought it from a trader of Reznaut a few months ago. It makes your eyes periodically glow... and your voice..." he raised the device to his throat, "Sound like this," he said in the traditional Goa'uld accent.

"And the lying part is in aid of...?" Allison probed him for more information.

"Me, Rycheck, Balos... a few others, we're con men! Alright! There I've admitted it. We go from world to world doing whatever we need to in order to survive. We found a downed Goa'uld shuttle craft a year ago, and this base about 7 months ago... we just kind-of... came up with the item of tricking people into believing we were Goa'uld."

"And the differently badged armour?" Donnelly asked.

"We didn't realize the emblems designated their loyalty. We just thought they were cool armour designs..."

"Designer Goa'uld armour? Now I've heard everything," Naylor said rolling his eyes. "Hate to break this up, but we can talk about this at the SGC."

"You're going to take me back? To your world? Where I'll be safe?"

"Yeah... but what do you need to be safe from? I mean, you've got it pretty cushing... living with these other con men, haven't you?"

The demi-Ra paused for a moment, he was unsure how to break it to the team. "Actually..."

"Out with it!" Naylor demanding, watching Blake as he checked over the fallen Jaffa for anymore weapons... finding a couple of combat knives, one he kept himself and the second he gave to Naylor.

"The reason we made our demands on such a tight scheduele was... well, what I mean to say is... we're not exactly liked by everyone in the galaxy."

With that the room is shaken by an explosion, coming from outside the building... but very close. All five concious people in the black room held their hands to their ears as the explosion was followed by a second, even closer...

"It must be our rescue!" Donnelly said optimistically.

Naylor looked at his team, "Blake... eyes on Ra here - Everyone with me."

Naylor led the way, he'd traded his knife for Allison's Zat gun; holding it in his right hand and using his left hand to ease open the door. The corridor outside was as he remembered it. Grey walls, beige tiled flooring... except for one minor addition, the giant hole in the wall.

"Least this place has sufficient fire exits," Naylor said taking a look both way down the decimated corridor before rushing through the opening in the wall.

With the group of five now in the open they could hear it all. More explosions, some close, some quite far off, the cries of the dying and the screams of the fleaing... even if they could not see it through the dust and debris that now filled the air and littered the surrounding landscape.

"Where's the cavalry then?" Naylor pondered out loud, he was expecting to see Colonel O'Neill, or Major Furneti coming out of the nearest bush with a group of twenty or so heavily armed marines.

"Colonel, look!" Allison was pointing into the sky, through a clearing in the explosion smoke to a three Goa'uld fighters hovering over head.

The SG team looked at Ra. "I knew I shouldn't have ripped off Lord Yu"


	12. Happy ending?

Through the mist like a beacon straight from the heavans Naylor spotted the Goa'uld transport that had brought him and his team from Simarka to; wherever the hell they were now.

"Where exactly are we?" Donelly was asking Ra, whilst Naylor was scouting with his trained military vision the safest and easiest route to the Transport.

"What planet I mean..."

"We call it Hiraal. It's a world outside the stargate network... it's why we picked it for our base, it's out of the way in a relatively quiet part of the galaxy..."

"Where's the nearest gate world?" Blake asked, he'd grabbed the fake Ra by the scruff of his robbed neck.

"There is a world where we do most of our gate travel from... it is three stars over."

Blake let the con artist go and looked to Allison, "How long?" he demanded.

Allison ignored Blake's continued arrogance and dislike of her, the situation called for a united front. "Half an hour by hyperspace... tops."

"And what if Lord Yu has his mothership... and his fleet in orbit?!" Donnelly cried. Everyone hiding in the undergrowth around the near demolished alien TV station (or whatever it was), was as exactly terrified they wouldn't survive, but Donnelly was the most vocal about his concerns.

"Lets cross that bridge when we come to it," Naylor said, the authority back in his voice, and his prescence back in the conversation. "Let's not dawdle any longer. Donnelly, you and Allison wait here. Blake, mister imposter here and I will make a run for those rocks there. You'll cover us from here. Then we'll cover you, and then we'll all make the final leap to the transport. Understood?"

All in all the time the group had spent crouching down out of site of any aerial attacks, or the inevitability of Yu's ground troops moving in, had been mere minutes... but already the battlefield background noise had fallen near silence. The odd scream of an injured man could be heard on the wind, as well as the unstoppable march of Jaffa's boots; REAL Jaffa this time, that wouldn't think twice about blasting all their Tau'ri asses.

Naylor and Blake readied their weapons, for what they were... fortunately their arsenal had been doubled... fate having alloted them a second zat gun off a fallen Jaffa, which Donnelly now wielded.

The Colonel and Blake made their destination without incident and beckoned the other three to follow. Donnelly took point, whilst Allison kept a weary eye on Demi-Ra.

When those three reached the safety of the rockface they all breathed a sigh of relief, the transport ship was within spitting distance and there were no Jaffa in sight... any moving Jaffa anyway, Allison thought to herself as she stepped over the fallen body of one.

Naylor stuck in head out over the rock to survey their surroundings one last time before making their escape. But shortly after by a few staff blasts that impacted harmlessly on the rock next to his head, Naylor leapt back to safety.

"So, they've found us," he shared.

"Are they my men, or Lord Yu's?" the Demi-Ra asked.

Naylor moved to look again, but stopped himself; "Why don't YOU go and ask them yourself. I'm not sticking my head back up there."

Before anyone could wager a guess on what their next plan would be Blake could be seen sticking his head out and around the rock. When this action was endured without hearing the familiar song of staff blasts Blake built up the courage and paced quickly from one rock to another, and then to a third.

"Where the hell!" Naylor yelled after Blake. He crawled over his comrades to the edge Blake had been sat in moments before. Naylor leant around the edges of his granite savyour just in time to see Blake make a B-Line for the transport ship. A small smile was about to cross the Colonel's face, when Blake fell to the floor... his left leg shot out by a staff blast. Fortunately a small explosion had gone off in an adjacent area to the team's current plateau and the dust delayed further staff blasts until Blake managed to scramble around to hide himself behind the third rock.

"Damnit," Naylor said under his breath.

Donnelly was at his shoulder now, "Blake's been hit hasn't he."

"Affirmative," Naylor said, a renewed determination in his voice. He grasped his Zat gun firmly and jumped free of the rock... he landed on his feet in a crotched position. He quickly rolled toward the first rock Blake had used for cover, narrowly avoiding several staff blasts.

Naylor paused a moment to catch his breath at this point. He'd managed to see where those staff blasts were coming from. Although the fighting had died down and many of Lord Yu's Jaffa were still around, most were digging through whatever trinkets Ra and his people had collected inside their hideout... or were scouting the surrounding forest for runaways. Leaving this area relatively undefended... exactly for this one, very determined mofo.

Naylor held Donnelly attention, and mouthed 'On three'. Raising a close fist, with three fingers, he counted them down. On one he started wildly firing his Zat over the top of his concealed place, buying Donnelly, Allison and Ra time to rush toward him.

With his team secure Naylor made a move for the third rock whilst Allison continued the blind firing. Blake was hit bad, but resisted the Colonel's attentions. "My leg..." Blake said through gritted teeth. "There isn't much left."

Naylor didn't know what to say. He shook his head in sorrow, but his face showed the remainder of his determination to get the hell out of here. He stood fully up, confident in their attackers cowardice in the face of Allison's wild ZATing, raised his weapon and spun around to face him.

The Jaffa himself couldn't be seen, only his staff weapon; petruding from the right hand side of his boulder, gave away his locale. Naylor used his hand as leverage and scrambled out of his hiding place. Allison in the mean time had noticed the Colonel's odd behaviour and had stopped firing, consumed by bewilderment at the courage of her commanding officer.

The Jaffa, hearing the ceasing of firing rose himself, followed by his staff weapon; to find Naylor standing directly on the other side. Without hestitate Naylor fired three times in quick succession, sending the body of his enemy into a trillion tiny pieces. He then returned to Blake, scooped him under his arm and began to carry him toward the transport; without a word to anyone else.

Allison and Donnelly grabbed Ra and headed after their leader. The air was thick with dust, and the smell of death; she didn't know why or how, but Allison could definately taste blood in her mouth.

Just as she started to relax the telltale sound of an approaching Goa'uld fighter could be heard... and it was getting closer. In a split second the fighter was upon them at incredible long range, sending off a spread of weapons fire. Allison could see Blake and the Colonel were directly in the fire's sights and it made a path of destruction along the ground. Without hestitate and without thought he dived at her comrades in an attempt to knock them free of their impending doom.

Donnelly had pushed himself and Ra toward the ground in a vain attempt to conceal themselves from the death from the skies, and as the dust settled he saw all three of his friends lying there.. 


	13. That's a RAp

Donnelly ran as fast as he dared sprint, leaving Ra behind... if he wanted asylum he'd wait patiently. Donnelly's three team mates, his only comrades in this alien place, were laid flat out on the ground in front of him. "Colonel! Blake! Howard!" he cried out rushing to their side.

The Colonel was first up, "Donnelly..." he moaned. "Get Allison and Blake to the ship..." he clutched his chest, which had taken the brunt of the impact. "And get that lazy half a Goa-whatsit to help!"

Hearing himself mentioned in a not totally negative light seemed to perk Ra up, he twaddled over and scooped Allison in a fireman's carry and took her without incident into the transport ship. By the time he'd left her body in a comfortable and dignified position and returned to the outside, Naylor had managed to almost stagger in his dazed state to the ship, and Donnelly was struggling to drag Blake along. Unsure of whom to aid first Ra simply stated the obvious; "We're running out of time. The fighters have been recalled which can only mean that Yu is preparing a final ground assault with the bulk of his troops."

"Either that," Naylor said holding his chest tightly as he managed to swing himself around a small rock and into the transport ship; letting himself slump down the nearest wall inside. "Or all your guys are dead and they're headed home."

"Doubtful sir," Donnelly said, finally making it inside and dumping Blake's unconscious body next to Allison in the small cargo area on the transport ship. "The Goa'uld sensors will show lifesigns down here."

"Can you fly?" Naylor asked, his head was starting to spin now. The vessel's interior decor was becoming a giant golden blur.

Donnelly bent down to look his commanding officer over, as he had just done Allison and Blake. "You look pretty shaken up sir," he said with genuine concern.

Naylor screwed his eyes closed in a vain attempt to remain conscious for a few seconds longer. "Damnit," he said beginning to feel the inevitable sleep encroaching his mind, "Can you fly?!"

"I can," Ra said pressing a control in a nearby wall panel that saw the cargo bay doors seal them safely from the outside world.

Naylor open his eyes again in suprise at Ra's willingness to help him and his team, before shutting them again and letting the darkness envelope him.

Donnelly looked around for the Colonel's ZAT gun, which Naylor had holstered before staggering towards the ship. Activating it he turned on Ra, "Get us the hell out of here!"

"Please, your weapons aren't necessary. I'll set a course for Hiraal at maximum speed. It'll be tricky evading Lord Yu's weapons though."

Ra headed for the tiny vessel's bridge. Donnelly took a moment to look back over his fallen comrades, all of whom were relying solely on him to get them home safe, before heading after Ra. The transport's bridge was of simple configuration; the walls were lined with the same golden glyfs the rest of the ship was, and the dashboard, so to speak, too. Two seats provided the means to allow humanoids to access the controls, and small viewing windows directly infront of these seats provided a glimpse to the world, or space as the case maybe, outside.

"Activate the cloak then," Donnelly suggested.

"I could, but I doubt it'd fool Yu's sensors for long," Ra countered, taking his seat and jamming his fingers in quick succession on a few controls. The ship responded instantly. The rumble that proceeded takeoff startled Donnelly a little, and reminded him it'd be a better flight from the co-pilot's seat.

On the ground, the launch of the ship, had not gone un-noticed... a group of Yu's Jaffa had pooled around it's landing site Staff weapons raised, but not firing. As the ship turned to head into the Ionosphere Donnelly peered out of his window at the Jaffa below.

"Bloody hell!" he exclaimed, "But why aren't they firing..."

Ra didn't respond for a moment, pondering the query... "HAHA!" he cried a moment later, followed by another "HAHA!", the pause caused by the ship jumping to high speed and the inertial dampeners trying to keep the team from splatting on the wall.

"What?" Donnelly asked, he couldn't help but let Ra's smile be infectious.

"Don't you see? The markings on the side of the shuttle... the ID my transponder must be sending out!"

"No..."

"It's all Yu's stuff! Those Jaffa think this transport ship is one of there's."

"Won't they realize we're not from their ship when they contact whoever's up there," Donnelly pointed towards the ceiling to illastrate his point, "And they tell them all their shortrange transports are accounted for?"

"Hopefully," Ra said as the blue skyscape was replaced in a second with the stars and their customary black backdrop.

"We'll be through the Hiraal gate before they realize!"

Moments later the ship was in Hyperspace, and safely enroute to Hiraal, whilst Yu's forces mopped up the rest of his fake Ra's guys. Donnelly was glad to have got away scot-free, but he could've swarn he'd felt the light tap of weapons fire on the rear of the shuttle as it jumped to hyperspace.

Ra was relaxing in his seat, pleased with a job well done and Donnelly had just retaken his seat after tending to the others.

"You're a careless bastard really aren't you?" he said frankly.

"Excuse me?" Ra said, shifting his body to a form dignified position.

"You are," Donnelly confirmed, "Leaving all your friends there to be killed, or worse, by Yu."

"They weren't my friends, they were merely disposable colleagues."

Donnelly shook his head and turned away from him. "I'm sure you'll fit right in on Earth," he muttered under his breath.

All three other members of SG-14 had come too and were sat thinking back over the mission that had started so normally visiting the backwater world of Simarka. The room was deadly quiet. Blake was watching the Colonel, as Naylor slowly drifted off back to sleep. Satisfied he and Allison were alone he coughed to clear his throat.  
"Erm," he said, Blake had been so cold, so hostile to everyone around him for so long he'd forgotten how to talk normally.  
Allison looked up in his direction, her eyes willing him to continue.

"Thanks," Blake decided on. He had wanted to explain everything, he relationship with Allison's predisessor, the sorrow he felt. But he couldn't... it was hard for a man to find the right words in these sorts of situations, and even harder for a career military man.

Allison smiled, she knew Blake wanted to say more, but was bound by his tongue.

"That's alright," she said, her expression now beaming as she saw Blake crack a slight smile.

"Think you'd stay with me whilst I get my leg sorted?" he asked, looking down at the nasty gooey mess where he leg and foot had been.

"Of course," she said squeezing his arm. They looked at each other a moment longer, swapping a stare they conveyed Blake's gratitude and Allison's genuine caring nature before they both closed their eyes again. 

"Unschedueled off world activation," Walter announced, he was a human recording machine... he only needed a few phrases of vocabulary and his work was done; none the less he was a valued member of the SGC.

General Hammond looked down into the Stargate's housing as the Iris closed.

"Damnit," Colonel O'Neill said loud enough for everyone to hear. "Why does this always happen when I'm trying to mount a rescue attempt?" The rest of SG-1 remained still, besides Teal'c who raised his usual eyebrow at the Colonel's comments.

"Who is it?" O'Neill asked, looking up at C and C where the General stood.

"It's SG-14!" Walter exclaimed.

Hammond opened the radio between C and C and the gate room. "No need to mount a rescue attempt at all anymore Colonel. It's SG-14."

O'Neill rolled his eyes, "You telling me I got dressed for nothing?"

The Iris receeded and the weary SG-14 returned home... 


End file.
